The Penn State College of Medicine Medical Student

The Penn State College of Medicine Medical Student Research Project Class of 2019 Ira J. Ropson, Ph. D. Director, Office of Medical Student Research Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology August 10, 2015

History l Dr. George Harrell, the founding Dean of the Penn State College of Medicine, established the principle that student research is an integral part of this medical school's curriculum.

Purpose l l l Participate in mentored medical research Understand the research process, and the limitations and variability of data Application of research to clinical practice Understand that the practice of Medicine is constantly changing, and research drives that change Helps you stand out when you are applying for residency and fellowships

The Medical Student Research Project l The MSR is a graduation requirement – No Project, no Graduation, no Exceptions n All College of Medicine medical students must: Complete an approved MSR Project or Participate in a dual degree program (MD/PHD, MD/MBA, MD/MS) with a significant research component that is equivalent to a MSR

The Medical Student Research Project l The MSR project can be in basic research n medical research n translational research n clinical research n social research n behavioral research Your research question determines the best data collection and analysis methodology, whether qualitative (hypothesis generating) or quantitative (hypothesis testing) or both n

The Medical Student Research Project The research question determines the best methods to address that question.

Quantitative or Qualitative or Both

The Medical Student Research Project l A MSR project n n Must have a clearly defined hypothesis and/or qualitative research question Must have data collected and/or analyzed by the student Must be summarized in a Final Report written by the student Is not a case report on a single patient

The Medical Student Research Project l The MSR Project process: n n n Identify a project Write a Proposal, and submit it for approval Complete your MSR research Write your Final Report, and submit it for approval Approval of your final report completes the requirement

The Medical Student Research Project The MSR Proposal l l Title Page Abstract Research Theme Hypothesis/Specific Research Question/Specific Aims and Goals: Background and Significance Methods Statement of Student's Responsibilities Statement of Sponsor's Responsibilities References Typically 4 -6 pages (double spaced) in length

How do I Find a Project? l Whatever you do, pick an area in which you are interested! n Join a medical interest group, and ask the faculty advisor and the senior medical students for ideas n Ask the relevant department chair, division chief and/or research coordinator about opportunities n Consider faculty members who lecture in that area n Ask your academic advisor for suggestions n Workshops in September and October on finding and developing a project

How do I Find a Project? l Whatever you do, pick an area in which you are interested! n Check out the MSR website Available projects u Past Project Titles u http: //www. pennstatehershey. org/web/msr/home/projects u n Check out Profiles https: //profiles. psu. edu/

How do I Find a Project? l Whatever you do, pick an area in which you are interested! n n Don’t be afraid to go outside the Penn State College of Medicine Students have completed projects at the main campus Students have completed projects at other institutions (NIH, CDC, other medical schools and hospitals, or people they have worked with before) Students have completed projects overseas Penn State Hershey Global Health Center http: //www. pennstatehershey. org/web/globalhealth/ home

Student Responsibilities l l Select a research topic Make arrangements to perform the research Be sure that all regulatory approvals are obtained Submit a proposal for approval n l l Working on a project without approval risks wasted time and effort. Complete the research Analyze the data Write the MSR report Meet all deadlines

Faculty Advisor Responsibilities l l Provide intellectual support and guidance Provide material support (does not necessarily include a salary!) Provide project-specific training Ensure all research compliance requirements (IRB, animal welfare, r. DNA Guidelines, etc) are met It is your responsibility (not your advisor’s) to complete the requirements of the MSR Project

Collaboration l l l In a perfect world, each student would identify a topic, do the background research, devise a question or hypothesis, write a proposal, obtain funding, do the research, validate the results, publish in a peer-reviewed journal and win the Nobel Prize. In reality, the advisor, fellow students and other individuals will have significant input into all stages of the project. Give credit where credit is due! If you are using the same patient database, equipment and/or advisor as another student for their MSR project, LET US KNOW! Your research efforts can be related (and you can help each other in data collection and analysis) but your proposal, analysis and report must be written individually. Some relaxation of this requirement for Global Health Projects only, but you still need to be able to explain what you did and why.

Collaboration anecdote l l Three students in the class of 2014 (Natalie Dogal, Judith Lin, and Ryan Mathis) worked with the same advisor (Akif Undar) and equipment to study oxygenation methods in neonatal cardiopulmonary bypass surgery Three peer reviewed publications and five meeting abstracts Each student 1 st author on one publication, second or third author on others Shared award at graduation for research

The MSR Final Report l l l l l Similar to a manuscript to be submitted for publication Abstract (no more than 500 words) Introduction (containing a statement of thevresearch question and background information) Materials and methods Results (use figures and tables!) Discussion and Conclusions References Typically 6 -15 pages, depending on number and content of figures Must be written by the student, although your advisor (and others) may be involved in editing Evaluated by MSR committee

The MSR Final Report A submitted manuscript or publication may be substituted for the Final Report only if the student is the first author. If you are NOT the first author of the manuscript, the student must submit that manuscript and a short report (3 -5 pages) that clearly states your role in the project and shows a clear grasp of the entire project. This document is similar in overall content to a MSR report, but shorter. Your research advisor must approve of your role in the publication as described in your report.

Timing for Research l When is the best time to do my MSR Project? n n n Summer 2016 will be the largest block of “free” time you will have in medical school You can select a research rotation the summer between your 3 rd and 4 th years Write the report while the research is still “fresh” in your mind, don’t wait until December of 2018 to write because you won’t remember the work you did

Deadlines - Class of 2019 l Proposal Submission Six weeks prior to the beginning of your research - April 15 th, 2016 (for research in the summer of 2016) If you are not doing your research in the summer of 2016, you need to tell us when you plan to do your research by May 1, 2016 l Final Report January 15 th, 2019 YOU WILL NOT GRADUATE WITHOUT APPROVAL OF YOUR REPORT (You get to tell your mom why)! FAILURE TO MEET Deadlines WILL BE REPORTED TO THE ACADEMIC PROGRESS COMMITTEE

Important Details n n n Human Subjects Off-campus Projects International Research Funding Opportunities Statistical Consulting Funding

Human Subjects The College of Medicine Institutional Review Board (IRB) MUST review ALL research involving human subjects IN ADVANCE. This includes all surveys. It is a violation of federal regulations and the policies of the MSHMC and PSU to conduct human subjects research without IRB approval THE IRB CAN NOT and DOES NOT GRANT RETROACTIVE IRB APPROVAL

Off-campus Projects l l ALL human subjects research at offcampus sites REQUIRES approval by BOTH the host site AND the MSHMC/COM IRB BEFORE the work can be initiated. Human subjects work conducted at offcampus sites without Penn State IRB approval will NOT fulfill your MSR requirement (although it is not illegal to perform the work if the host site has IRB approval)

International Research l l l International research projects are encouraged but require significant extra effort All MSR and IRB policies must be followed You MUST work through the Office of Global Health n n n Faculty Sponsor Proposal approval before initiating research ALL human subjects research at international sites REQUIRES approval by BOTH the host site (following local procedures) AND the MSHMC/Co. M IRB BEFORE the work can be initiated.

Friendly advice l Everyone is very, very busy, so… Don’t wait until the last minute No one should be more concerned about meeting your requirements for the MSR than you.

MSR Workshops l l l How to find and develop your project Students who have completed the requirement and research advisors will participate Dates, times, and locations – Sign up on Simba Mon. Aug. 31 Tues. Sept. 1 Thurs. Sept. 3 Mon. Sept. 14 Wed. Sept. 16 Fri. Sept. 18 Mon. Sept. 28 Thurs. Oct. 1 2 pm-4 pm 3 pm-5 pm 2 pm-4 pm 3 pm-5 pm C 4702 C 5702 C 4702 C 5620 C 5702 C 4702 C 5702

Contact Information l l l WEB site http: //www. med. psu. edu/web/msr Renee Seibel - MSR Administrator msr@hmc. psu. edu x 280809 CG 603 Dr. Ira Ropson - MSR Director iropson@hmc. psu. edu x 4064 C 5736